Premier League clubs Everton and Burnley will square up against each other in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Everton are all set to host Burnley at the Goodison Park in the fourth round of the EFL Cup. Sean Dyche is all set to square up against his former club for the first time since getting sacked last year, and he will be eager to help his team seal a spot in the quarter-finals.
The home team squared up against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. It was a tough assignment for them, but they managed to come out on top with a 2-1 scoreline. They had a minority share of the ball but managed to convert their chances and seal a much-deserved win.
Everton will look for a similar performance when they face the newly-promoted Premier League club Burnley. Sean Dyche’s team have won three out of their last five games, and they are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 win over West Ham United.
Meanwhile, the visitors had a comfortable 4-0 win over Salford City in the third round of the EFL Cup. They dominated the opposition and sealed an easy win. But, this time around, the opposition is much stronger, and it won’t be easy to get one over them.
Burnley have won only one out of their last five games. They have lost the other four fixtures and are heading into this game against Everton on the back of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth. They dominated the ball but could not create enough chances and ended up on the receiving side.
It is expected to be a closely fought encounter between two Premier League clubs, and The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
There are no fresh injury concerns for Sean Dyche, and he does have a major boost, as Ashley Young is back in the mix after having served his suspension.
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— Everton (@Everton) October 30, 2023
The home team might not make wholesale changes to their regular, but there will be a few rotations for sure. Dyche might make a minor change to the formation, he might go ahead with a 4-5-1 rather than a 4-4-1-1.
Jordan Pickford is expected to continue in goal. Young might feature as a right-back in this fixture, and Vitaliy Mykolenko is expected to take charge on the left. In the heart of the defence, James Tarkowski will pair up with Michael Keane.
Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma will feature out wide in the centre of the park. The duo will provide the width to their attack. In the middle of the pitch, Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana will have the support of James Garner. Dyche is expected to rest injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin for this outing. As a result, Beto will be leading the line for Everton.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Harrison, Gueye, Onana, Garner, Danjuma; Beto
Burnley
The visitors will be without the services of Jordan Beyer, Michael Obafemi and Hjalmar Ekdal. The participation of Manuel Benson is also in doubt. Meanwhile, Connor Roberts is back again after serving his suspension.
Jay Rodriguez wants the Clarets to give the fans 'something to be proud of' as our trip to Goodison Park beckons 🏆
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) October 31, 2023
Vincent Kompany will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation in this fixture, and Arijanet Muric will get another opportunity in goal. Meanwhile, Vitinho and Charlie Taylor will be the full-backs, and they will provide support to Ameen Al-Dakhil and Dara O’Shea, who will feature in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Jack Cork will take care of the defensive side of things, and he will have the support of Josh Brownhill and Sander Berge. The trio will look to keep hold of the ball and dictate the pace of this game.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Jacob Bruun Larsen will start out wide on the flanks. The duo will provide width to their attacks and they will also look to cut in and link up with their number nine Jay Rodriguez.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Muric; Vitinho, Al-Dakhil, O’Shea, Taylor; Brownhill, Cork, Berge; Gudmundsson, Rodriguez, Bruun Larsen
Key Stats
- In the last 120 meetings between the two teams, Everton have a superior record having won 52 times over Burnley.
- The visitors have only won 38 times against Everton since their first meeting which took place back in 1888.
- Everton have only won one out of their five home games this season.
- The Clarets are on a three-match losing streak and will look to return to winning ways when they face Everton.
Player to Watch
Beto
Beto has not had much game time since joining Everton in the summer. He has been involved in 10 games and has been on the pitch for less than 500 minutes. The 25-year-old has contributed towards three goals so far.
He has been involved in two EFL Cup games and has found the back of the net once in 63 minutes of football. The Portuguese striker is all set to start in this fixture, and he will surely look to make a mark as he seeks more game time under Sean Dyche.
Prediction
Everton 2-1 Burnley
The home team have been in decent form of late, and they will be heading into this fixture expecting to get a positive result. Meanwhile, the visitors have not been in the best of forms, they have lost four out of their last five games and getting a positive result against Sean Dyche’s Everton won’t be an easy task by any means.
The recent form of the two teams suggests that it could be a closely-fought encounter. But eventually, the home team might come out on top. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Everton in this EFL Cup fixture.
